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2013 Favourites

Sunday, 2 February 2014

Do I realise it's now February? Yes I do, but this has been sitting in my drafts since the beginning of January and I've just took my sweet time getting my photos. It would be really easy for me to feature a crazy amount of products so I've decided to pick 5 products per category. I tried a LOT of new beauty products this year, basically due to starting my grown up girl job and having nothing else to spend money on apart from makeup and skincare. That'll all change this year though as I'm going to reign it in and try and get some savings behind me. Anyway, enough of the boring chat and down to business...

Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil - Amazing for sorting out dehydrated skin. My skin loves this. I've also used it loads and I've barely made a dent in it. So worth the money. There are two other types for oily skin (I'm going to give that a go in the summer) and one for dry skin.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo - This really sorted out my bad skin. Using it regularly has improved my breakouts. I still get them but no where near as bad and they don't last for as long and instead of randomly cropping up it tends to be around that "time of the month". There's not much that can be done about hormonal breakouts!

Aesop Chamomile Concentrate Anti-Blemish Masque - I find this a slightly supercharged version of the Aesop Parsley Seed Mask which I also love. It helps clear pores and dry out spots. Full review here.

Alpha H Liquid Gold - My skin looks amazing after using this. It gets all of those dead skin cells off and helps to clear up old scarring from spots over time. It's strong so I only use it about once a week.

Makeup -

YSL Youth Liberator Foundation - An absolutely amazing launch this year. I've wrote a full review of it here, where you can see a before and after photo.

Dior Overcurl Mascara - This is my ultimate holy grail. I've tried almost every high street mascara going and a good few high end too and nothing compares to this for me. Full review here.

Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot - This is the only high street powder I've really got on with. I tried the Rimmel Stay Matte but it didn't keep my skin matte for long enough. I'm almost finished this one and I'll be replacing it immediately!

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil - NARS has never been a brand that I go crazy for but I would definitely go crazy for these Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. I love the consistency and the staying power. I would love to get more of these in lots of colours. Full review here.

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl - This is exactly what it says it is - a skin perfecter. I wrote a full review here.

Bath & Body -

This Works Bath Salts - These smell absolutely amazing, and they help in getting me in that relaxed mood for a good nights sleep.

Aromatherapy Associates Bath and Shower Oil - I bought this in January last year after trying the mini oil collection. I love using it in a pre-bedtime bath. Over and above the gorgeous aromatherapy aroma, it helps soften skin. I need to get me some of the other kinds this year.

Body Shop Body butters - Hands down my favourite body moisturiser. Satsuma is my particular favourite as the smell is to die for! I wrote a full review of this in the summer.

Cocoa Brown 1 hour tan - I did a comparison of this and the Chloe Sims 1 hour tan recently, and this one just wins as the favourite. The smell and the natural light tone is ideal for me. I'm very very pale naturally so I usually prefer adding a subtle glow rather than a full on tan. It makes me look crazy.

Body Shop Dry Brush - This has done wonders for my dry body skin - and my cellulite! Using this a few times a week before a bath or shower has made my skin silky smooth.

Hands & Nails -

Dior Nail Polish - This is my first ever Dior Nail Polish and I absolutely fell in love with the formula as well as the colour. It's creamy, not streaky and has great lasting power without a top coat.

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream - I try lots of different hand creams but I always come back to this one. I find that it's the most moisturing and non-greasy one I've tried. It also really helps with my dry cuticles. In work I use a lot of alcohol gel and my skin takes a bit of a beating. This makes my hands brand new.

Mavala Nail Polish - I was surprised by how much I loved this little whim buy. It's a practical size to use up before it goes all gloopy, it's not expensive and it has a beautiful finish.

Sally Hansen cuticle remover - This is a dream product for me. It's how I get that professional looking finish with my nails without actually having to go and get them done.

Essie Nail Polish (specifically Penny Talk, After School Boy Blazer and Vanity Fairest) - I'd used Essie polish before 2013 but this year it continued to impress me this year. These three are my favourite colours from this year.

Hair -

Philip Kingsley Elasticiser - This has vastly improved the quality of my hair. It's stronger and doesn't snap so easily.

L'Oreal Elvive Volumising Heat Protectant - This is a bit of a late contender but I love the results. It protects my hair from heat and gives a natural looking volume boost with no stickiness.

V05 Hairspray - I've steered away from my old faithful Elnette and have fallen for this hairspray. While it's not as easy to brush out as Elnette, it holds a curl better for me. And of course more VOLUME.

V05 Give Me Texture - This is amazing at giving volume and texture to my hair. Everyone is obsessed with the Oribe Volumising Spray (which is amazing) but for a fraction of the price this is just as good in my opinion.

Philip Kingsley Shampoo Boost Building - This smells incredible and after using it I really notice more volume in my hair. Very important for someone with really thin hair like me.

Candles & Fragrance -

Anthropologie Royal Apothic - Noble Carnation - This candle smells absolutely incredible, I can't even begin to explain it! You need it. That is all.

Jo Malone Ginger and Nutmeg Cologne - This is something a bit different for me, normally I'm in to super girly sweet perfume but this is more spicy with a fresh citrus undertone.

Victorias Secret Love Spell - I fell in love with this when I went to New York in the summer. It's one of the most popular VS fragrances and I certainly know why.

NEOM Sumptuous Candle - I used this up pretty quick, it's beautiful. I wrote a full post on it here.

4 comments:

Oh so many goodies! I like your blog. I actually posted the same Dior Nail varnish and Sally Hansen product in my recent nail post too- they're lovely.As for AESOP, I really would love to try their brand! So many people rave about it. Blah, lol. I need to do better.E | Beauty/Skincare | Cocoamourr